Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Happy Release Day + Giveaway: INK, by Melanie Karsak

The authors at the Falling in Deep Collection asked me a few interview questions about the novella. I thought I'd share my answers with you. Some fun facts about Ink!

1.What is your favorite
mermaid story or myth?

When I was a teen, I fell in love with the
Slavic/Russian novels written by C. J. Cherryh, including her work Rusulka.
Rusulka is the story about a drowned girl who becomes a haunted spirit. Rusulka
are prevelant in Slavic myth. They are often depicted as spirits, but sometimes
they appear as nymphs or water sprites. I was really inspired by Cherryh’s
Rusulka character.

I moved to Florida about five years ago, and I
was really inspired by all the sights on the coast. We’ve taken trips to Miami
on a few occasions. I enjoy the architecture, but dislike the vibe of the city.
It’s the same vibe Ink feels when she is there (sorry, Miami). I live on the
Space Coast, not far from NASA, and I love this area. We are close to Cocoa
Beach which has the feel of a “once-happening” place. There is a quaint charm
to its faded, sea-side glory. I adore Cocoa Village, a quaint downtown area.
There are lovely little shops and old oak trees with Spanish moss. It was the
perfect setting for Ink’s eventual rendezvous with a good friend.

3.Cast your characters. If
your novella was made into a movie, who would play your main characters?

Ink is hard to cast, but I would probably choose
someone like Megan Fox.

The world building! Oh my gosh, it took me
forever to figure out just how “under the sea” functioned in terms of a
society. There was nothing to go from so I just made it all up! It took a lot
more time and brain-power than I expected.

5.Ursula or Ariel?

Ursula’s attitude with Ariel’s looks. Ariel is
too “I need a man” for me. Ursula is too “I need power” for Ink. But they both
have good qualities.

I actually really love cecaelia, mer-octopus
like Ursula. They play an important role in Ink.

6.What else should we know
about your novella?

There are alligator shifters and nyotaimori (Google
it). I now know way more about alligator mating calls than a normal person
would find useful. Don’t judge me by my Google searches. :)

Novella Description

A mermaid princess destined to wed a handsome king…

It sounds like a fairy tale, but the reality is far murkier. Ink, Princess of the Florida Atlantic mers, is slated to wed the ancient enemy of her tribe, the King of the Gulfs. After years of war that led to countless mer deaths, as well as the genocide of aquatic shapeshifters and the freshwater mers of Florida, Ink’s marriage will bring lasting peace.

Or so it seems.

Mere hours before she’s supposed to leave the ocean for her customary year as a drywalker, Ink meets Hal, an alligator shifter who warns her that a storm is brewing. There is malicious intent behind Ink’s marriage—and worse, meeting Hal has also caused a storm to rage in Ink’s heart. Nevertheless, loyal to her tribe, Ink will put aside her feelings and journey to Miami to marry the decadent King Manx.

Ink soon learns that her only hope of surviving the crashing force swelling around her is to tap into a power deep inside—a forbidden power that might destroy them all.

About the Collection

Ink: A Mermaid Romance is part of a larger collection of mermaid books launching this summer. Love mermaids? Looking for a great beach read? The Falling in Deep Collection, a collection of 15 unique tales of creatures of the deep, is rolling out the first novella in their collection at the end of May.

From mermaids to sirens, Miami to Athens, dark paranormal romance to contemporary stories with steam, the fifteen award-winning and best-selling authors of the Falling in Deep Collection are bringing you mermaid tales like you've never seen before.

Every week beginning May 26th, 2015, we'll be releasing one unique, never-before-published novella! Each novella will feature our favorite creature of the deep: mermaids.